Ever since I was a kid it has been my dream to go to Baguio.
However, it was not until I was in my 30s that I was finally able to go to there.
I have been to Baguio twice : in 2010 and in 2013. The first was
with a group of friends while the 2013 trip was with my family: my kids, my
sister, and my nephews.
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| my fambam! |
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| My daughter Mikaela and her cousin Viem |
I have fallen in love with Baguio's cool climate even though it
has not been as cold as it was years ago. We enjoyed a chilly weather of 15
degrees Celsius temperature on October 2013. The kids loved it and there was no need to use the aircon
unit at night!
There's something about the place that makes me feel at home. Is it
the hilly pavements? Or the long evening bus travel? I also find the lifestyle
in Baguio simple but not too laid back. And of course, many Filipino romantic
movies are shot in Baguio. Love is definitely in the air when you're in Baguio.
Baguio is definitely a place that will delight you whether you are with
your family, your friends or your loved ones.
Baguio City is situated in the province of Benguet in Northern
Luzon. It is about 200 kilometers away from Manila, and you can get there
conveniently by bus. As the country's summer capital, it is always on the
list of popular tourist destinations in the Philippines not only for Filipinos
but to foreigners, as well.
For both of my trips, we opted to take the evening bus ride via
Victory Liner. The ride took about 6 hours, arriving in Baguio at dawn.
Travelling at night saves you time and hotel expense for 1 day. Victory Liner's
terminal is in Cubao and it is open 24 hours, leaving every hour for Baguio. The
Bus fare costs Php450 per person. And guess what, I love their buses have free
wifi onboard! It pays to book ticket earlier because the terminal can get
crowded especially during weekends and holidays. My second trip was on on a
semestral break, the terminal was full of people and we had to wait for a few
hours before we could ride a bus. During busy days, buses leave every 30
minutes to accommodate the volume of passengers who all wanted to have a little
Baguio escapade like us.
1. Burnham
Park
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| My boys Lean and Gabby enjoying the boat ride |
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| biking galore! |
I only got to visit and enjoy Burnham Park on my 2nd trip to
Baguio. My kids had a great time biking around the area.
BMX/mountain bikes are available for rent for both adults and kids
at Php 40 per hour. Sidecar bikes go for Php 50 per hour. My two
sons, Gabby and Lean also tried boating. We paid Php100 which was good for a
30-minute exciting boat ride. It was so much fun watching and taking
photos of them[.
2. Philippine
Military Academy
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| ala Beatles' Abbey Road shot |
The country’s only military academy is about 30 minutes away from
Burnham Park. That is if you ride a jeepney like we did. We passed through Kennon
Road and Loakan road to reach PMA. The jeepney fare is Php 20 per person. Along
the way, I caught a glimpse of Camp John Hay.
Again, because of the cool weather, walking inside the grounds of
PMA was very relaxing. The tall trees, well-maintained garden, quiet pathways,
huge building structures make the experience nostalgic knowing that
PMA is one of the country's historical places. We occasionally saw one or two
uniformed-PMA cadets walking and doing their hand salutes to their superiors.
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| PMA shirts for souvenirs |
We took a lot of pictures and bought souvenir shirts and dog tags
inside the cafeteria. There was also a mini-museum which featured century old
items and uniforms.
3. Strawberry
Fields, Benguet La Trinidad
We took a 10-kilometer jeepney ride from Baguio Center Mall (a ten-minute walk from Burnham park) to reach the famous Strawberry Fields. We paid
only Php 11 per person for the jeepney fare.
This place kinda takes me back to the good old days. Noisy, old
style jeepneys, country-inspired houses and schools. The jeepney trip lulled us
to sleep for a bit. Thanks to the cold Benguet breeze. After a few minutes, we
finally saw fresh strawberries ready for picking. See, we got there even before
"La Presa" of the top local TV series, "Forevermore" became famous.
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| Strawberry Fields forever! |
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| Baguio souvenirs for every tourist! |
There are a lot of sweets, other food items, and souvenirs for
sale within the area. We ate strawberry taho (soya flan) and
strawberry ice cream to complete the Strawberry Field experience.
4. Minesview
Park
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| The Sullan cousins in the Minesview pose |
When you climb up to the
view deck of Minesview Park, you get a spectacular overlooking view of the
outskirts of Baguio, specifically the abandoned copper and gold mines of the
town of Itogon. Tourists abound in this part of the city, which is 4 km away
from downtown.
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| Mikkie exploring the view |
There are lots of souvenir and food stalls here. The kids
and I had a picture taken with a St. Bernard dog. They also enjoyed a horseback
ride for a fee. Mikkie's horse had a pink hair! We had a chance wear an Ifugao
costume and have our pictures taken for only Php 20 .
5. Good
Shepherd Convent (Mountain Maid Training Center)
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Mountain Maid's famous Ube Jam and other sweet treats: my favorites
(photo credit: www.goodshepherdsisters.org.ph)
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This popular pasalubong food shop is just a walking distance from
Minesview park. This is one of my favorite places in Baguio because it sells
the famous and best tasting Ube Jam ((purple yam jam) in the country I don't mind the hike to and
fro the convent, and the effort of bringing the goods all the way to Davao just
as long as I bring home with me bottles of this tasty native dessert. A small
jar (12oz) of their Ube Jam costs Php 200 each while the big jar (24 oz) costs Php
320 each.
6. The
Mansion
The Mansion, located at Leonard Wood Road, is where the President
of the Philippines officially stays when he/she visits Baguio City during
summer. Since the gate was closed that time, we only had our picture taken
outside The Mansion’s premises.
7. Botanical
Garden
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| A pose with the Ifugao men and women |
The Botanical Garden , also called the Igorot Village, is just
near the Mansion. It is almost as large as the Burnham Park, It has an ethnic
vibe and features native huts, amidst the tall trees, exotic plants, and pretty
flowers which only grow in the cold northern Luzon soils.
A group of senior Igorot women, clad in authentic Igorot costumes
welcomed us and offered to have pictures taken with them for a fee. I gave Php
20 to have a 'selfie' with one of them.
There are are also souvenir ships in the area, and I was able to
buy keychains for my friends back home. I also bought, a pink knitted cardigan
for my daughter Mikaela. By the way, knitted wear including caps are cheap in
Baguio.
It always puts a smile on my face whenever I look back at my trips
to Baguio. Someday, I'd love to be back in this lovely city again. This time,
I'd also like to visit the equally famous Sagada, a nearby municipality,which
is 5-6 hours away from Baguio.
I'm claiming it. Baguio and Sagada very soon!!!
1 comments
I would probably spend most of my time there in the Strawberry fields and the Botanical Garden! It seems like a lovely place to be in during the Holidays!
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